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NBA Picks

NBA Picks: Bulls vs. Pacers Betting Preview

What are the best ways to bet the game between the up and coming Chicago Bulls and potent Indiana Pacers? At the Sportsbooks, what do the lines look like?

Chicago
heads into Indiana tonight to play the Pacers, and the NBA Odds have the Bulls
as +3 underdogs on the road, with a total of 182 ½. After playing last night in
Detroit, will the Pacers have enough energy to muster up another win here at
home, or will the Bulls shake off their early season rust, and show the world
their true potential?

George dominant, Hill absent

The two
big take aways from last night’s game is that Paul George may be establishing
himself as one of the top five NBA players in the league, and George Hill
missed the game. Both are key to their team’s success, but I think both have
their issues heading into tonight’s game.

George
played outstanding in 41 minutes of action last night, but after having to go
back in the game after the Pacers blew their huge lead late in the third
quarter, I think his legs might not be completely there tonight. On top of
having to play a tough team off of a back to back, Luol Deng has been one of
the league’s best defenders on George during his time in Indiana, and I think
that continues here. In his last three games against the Bulls, George is
shooting 19-48, and those were all three without having to match Derrick Rose’s
scoring.

Hill
missed last night’s game and his presence may be the most important thing for
the Pacers here tonight against Rose. If Hill misses again, his defense is
going to be missed a lot if he can’t play. His backup, CJ Watson played well
last night, but he leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end. Plus,
asking Watson to guard Rose all game would be cruel.

If Hill
misses again, I think the Bulls have to be the play here. Rose has looked rusty
to start the season, but if Hill isn’t there to check him, I see a huge bust
out game for Rose and the Bulls here.

Rose and
the Bulls have covered their last two meetings with the Pacers, and four of the
last six times they have played them, they have covered the spread. On top of
that, the Bulls are 3-2 ATS in their last five trips to Indiana.

I fully
expect Deng to slow down George in this game, and even though the big men for
the Pacers can do a lot of damage, (just go look at David West’s game log
against Chicago last season) coming off of a tough back to back game will hurt
their defense enough for the Bulls to keep it close throughout the game.

By all
accounts this should be a lower scoring game, and that always favors the
underdog. Indiana has played well against not only their division ATS, but they
have actually played well on no rest too. The Pacers are 14-9 ATS since 2012 on
the second night of a back-to-back, but because of this, I think they may be
overvalued here. The Bulls are well rested as they have not played since
Saturday, and I think that, the Pacers’ lack of rest, and Hill’s injury will be
the difference tonight. Take the points with Chicago for you NBA picks.